Tartan Albert's

I had ordered a pair of Albert Slippers from Del Toro last fall, liked them and wrote about my experiences, which was/is favorable. Ever since I have been on the butt end of blistering communiques from those who acted upon my recommendation and have found Del Toro near impossible to work with. For that I'm sad, I apologize. I want to think it's growing pains, but that should never become the customers problem. Consequently,until we hear otherwise, I urge caution when dealing with Del Toro. We are becoming too set in our ways to seek out more hassles in our lives. Which is unfortunate, since I badly want a pair of their new linen style.

Towards the end of January I wrote about how well I liked my Broadland Albert slippers. I liked their bespoke sizing, their pricing, turn around time and generally how well they kept me informed of the who, what, where, whens. I liked my slippers so much, I immediately ordered another pair.

This time in leather lined, Blackwatch tartan.

They arrived Wednesday, just in time for National Tartan Day. Everything I said I liked about Broadland the first time, I say again, only more so.

Toad

News from Del Toro

I am inadvertently shilling for Del Toro once again, but during the past week I received 2 emails I thought I'd share. This is an unpaid, unsolicited plug, presented only because I like mine, a lot.

Email #1 In which they sound as if they want to be an alternative to Belgians

DEL TORO SHOES INTRODUCING GREAT VARIETY OF CUSTOM OPTIONS

Miami Beach, FL. (October 5, 2010) Del Toro shoes are offering yet more options for designing your dream loafer. In a month you will be able to have Del Toros in velvet, leather, suede or linen and pick the color of the trim. The company offers diverse embroidery options but also gives their customers a possibility of designing a unique pair of shoes by uploading a picture of their favorite pet or a family crest, for example.

The shoes are available exclusively online at www.deltoroshoes.com. Prices range from $195 for the simple loafer to $295 for the fully customized embroidery. Del Toro will have your pair handmade outside of Madrid, Spain and delivered within two months.

Email 2 from Matt the Prez, with a great inducement for the ladies

To all our Valued Customers:

Hey its Matt, I personally want to thank you guys for all the continued support. Thanks to you I have been able to develop Del Toro into the lifestyle brand I have always envisioned.

We are pleased to announce many positive changes. We are now offering countless more embroidery and material options all shown on the website.

We are also declaring the debut of our new models, the driving shoe line and boat slipper as well as some special deals in time for the holidays.

We are happy to boast our significant upgrade in quality and manufacturing thanks to our switch to producing in Madrid, Spain.

All orders placed by October 20th will be guaranteed by the holidays.

In order to celebrate this we are offering a special sale for returning customers. 15% percent off all models : code “Del Toro” (valid for all the month of October).

www.deltoroshoes.com

For all our loyal female customers we are now offering an even more worthwhile deal, buy one vintage classics at a discount of $145 ($50 off retail) each and get the second pair free. This applies only to the women’s black classic which has been featured both in Lucky magazine as part of the Fall Shoe guide and British Vogue.

Shilling or chillin'

Toad

Del Toro, A couple of kids trying hard

Mrs. Blandings and I have been trading emails this past week comparing our experiences with the good kids at Del Toro. Her tale is not mine to tell, my experience has been very good.

Keep in mind, I'm not on the take here, just sharing a story.

One of the hardest notions to get your mind across when buying clothes off the peg, is that the size on the label is just a number. You can like the number or if you hate the number, you may do something about it, but you are never absolved from the dictate to buy clothing that fits YOU.

I'm especially leery about buying shoes unseen. My foot is wide. If wide is unavailable, sometimes you can substitute extra length in a medium width shoe to compensate for missing width. Let the buyer beware however. Acknowledging my shoe difficulties, I took advantage of their try it on for size offer, and I am grateful I did.



I ordered a half and a whole size larger than normal, figuring one or the other would fit perfectly. I could get neither on my feet.

Two days later, Matt, one of the founders, gives me a call. He seemed genuinely curious. I told my story, he told his and promised to send replacements. 10 days later they arrived. Butta!

So here's the problem. He sent the black to try on. Originally, I didn't want black, but now I do, so I'm keeping these. I wanted brown, and an embroidered blue pair, and a monogrammed black pair, and a...

I especially like the cool racing stripe at the back. Call Matt, he's got my info.

Toad